The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-06-04


 gina deposited it on velvet-covered -chair, while she went round the drawing room, with Margaret's arm locked in hers, her gold double eye glass up, exclaiming at and admiring , by turns everything she saw, while I followed in their wake, trying not to look as nervous as felt.
 Suddenly, in one of the few and dis , tant pauses in Aunt Georgina's con- versation, or rather monologue, again heard the sound of wheels stop- ping at our door; very heavy wheels this time. By i'll luck she was just nearing the front windows, after hay ing made the tour of the room. At once her gold eye-glass was up in its place.
 "Why, I declare!, she exclaimed. That huge thing looks as if it were stopping at your door, You don't mean to say you've been buying a grand piano, you extravagant chil- dren?"
 Ii was the billiard-table!
 looked at my wife, feeling as if my heart, and, indeed, the whole of my inside, were slowly but surely sinking down into my shoes. wished the earth would open and swallow me up. But the earth, which is seldom as complaisant as one would desire under such circumstances, re- fused to budge.
 Margaret was clasping her hands behind Aunt Georgina's brown silk back. In another moment I felt all would be lost; when all of sudden. in the back drawing room, arose an unearthly bowling and screeching. Margaret's Persian cat had just strolled laZily into the room, in search of particular arm chair, which she loved, when she was roughly accosted almost on the threshold by Boulotte, who, though somewhat averse to at tacking her own species, was not par ticularly afraid of a cat. But Mrs. Fluff, not approaching the fan of the thing, boxed her ears soundly two or three times, and regular scrimmage ensued.
 Aunt Georgina flew to soothe her bowling favorite, while the cat. who had jumped on to neighboring cabi- net, to the imminent peril of Mar garet's collection of gimcrack pottery, glowered with angry green eyes at her cowardly asSailant, her tail the size and consistency of a sweeps chimney brush.
 It was none too soon! AsI looked out of the window, the men were just hoisting the table out of the cart.
 "You keep her here," Margaret whispered hurriedly to me. q must go and look after them, and tell them not to tread heavily" And she van ished from the room.
 It is not too much to say that at this moment was fairly terrified. If l failed was responsible to Margaret. 1 felt violent desire to seize Aunt Georgina by the arm, and march her up and down the room, as they do a person who has swallowed a narcotic poison. \ minute more, and the mems feet were distinctly audible tramping past the drawing room door. Ifmy wife had told them not to tread heavily, they were certainly not obeying her injunctions.
 Dear me" said Amt Georgina, putting up her eye-giass as if it en- abled here to hear better. "You don't mean to say that you have workmen in the house still?"
 Il think it is some men coming to look at the pipes" l replied. Pipes seem usually the thing that workmen come to house to look at, 90 felt it was safe thing to say, though not strictly true.
 But Aunt Geoagina seemed bent on Investigating things for herself. In fact, her hand was already on the door. while thrill of horror shot through me, when, fortunately the door itself arrested her attention. Margaret, who is an adept at paint ing-on anything but paper. Chat is to say, she paints on wood, china. terra-cotta and plush; but paper she says she can never manage)-had spent some weeks in decorating the drawing room doors. and the result was emi- nently charming.
 its very well done. indeed-verv we'll done" she said. peering through the glass at my wife's artistic produc- tions. Those foX-gloves seem grow ing up quite naturally out of the ground. By the way, where is Mag gie gone to?" she exclaimed the next moment, sinking down on to a sofa which stood near.
 1T think she has gone to look after the luncheon,' 1 stammered. You see, we are young housekeepers even yet" And l smiled deathlv smile. caught reflection of myself in the mirror opposite. and it seemed to me that l had absolutely aged since l got up that morning. My hair will be white soon," l thought, If this sort of thing goes on much longer"
 Dear mel" said Aunt Georgina.